


roll credits

by hiuythn



Series: there, nestled against his pulse [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: BAMF Keith (Voltron), BAMF Lance (Voltron), Deleted Scenes, Fluff, M/M, Team as Family, some angst. like a teaspoon. blink and you'll miss it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22743256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiuythn/pseuds/hiuythn
Summary: When Allura said, “You will explain everything to me,” she wasn’t kidding.“Can you still hear him?” she asks. She’s got a fucking datapad. She’s taking notes.“Yes,” Keith sighs. “He’s still singing Backstreet Boys.”[post-TNAHP/TWILLL. Some asks from tumblr, some headcanons/extra scenes I haven’t shared yet.]
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: there, nestled against his pulse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1058306
Comments: 256
Kudos: 1107





	1. Meet The Locals (deleted scenes from tiwlll)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this takes place after the cleansing in chapter 10

_[“You’re sure you’re okay?” Keith asks._

_“Yeah,” replies Lance, and he means it._

_There’s no dizziness, none of the stuff from last time. Honestly, he kind of feels energized. He bounces on the balls of his feet.]_

“Does this mean you would be up for this next bit?” Ku’yr pipes up.

“Next…bit?” Keith asks.

“Well, it’s just—I thought you two might be bored, so I asked Her Majesty if I could take you around to meet everybody—the staff, I mean. Only if you’re interested, of course!”

Lance considers it. Sounds like an alright way to pass time, but… “Wouldn’t we be interrupting their duties?”

“Not at all! They’ve been talking about you since you landed. We’re curious people, and you both seem very friendly.”

Anyone would seem friendly, Lance thinks, after that mess of a first contact you had with the Kxri. “Keith?”

“I’m fine with it.” Keith shrugs.

“Excellent.” Lu’hr claps her hands. “In that case, Re’sl and I will be excusing ourselves now; we have another meeting soon.”

“Thank you for attending,” Lance says. “Actually, Re’sl, if I could get a word with you before you leave?”

Re’sl blinks. “Certainly.”

They move to the side. Lance can feel Keith’s suspicious gaze on his neck.

“You mentioned a store yesterday,” Lance begins. “On our way to the Citadel. Could you give me directions?”

Re’sl smiles. His eyes flick over to Keith. “Is this for…?”

Lance sighs. “That obvious?”

“It is hard to hide the contentment that radiates off matched couples. And rumor has it that the quarters assigned to Keith remain very much empty.”

Lance flushes. “You going to help me out or what, man?”

Re’sl laughs. “Alright, alright. Now, the way there is very simple…”

Ku’yr knows a lot about the Citadel. Every exit point, every entry point, every room from the nobles’ quarters to the one bathroom in the lower east wing that never flushes. At one point, Lance point-blank asks her if she was hiding the blueprints up her sleeve, of if she was some type of secret spy. She laughs and says it’s just an occupational requirement.

“It’s become my home,” she admits. “I’ve been here longest, out of all the aides. The first to start working again, after the collapse. My duties aren’t glamorous, but they take me all over the Citadel.”

Considering that the activity was probably planned out yesterday, Ku’yr’s tour of the place is oddly entertaining. She doesn’t dive into the details you’d expect of a tour guide—there’s no spiel about crown moulding or the history of what this or that painting depicts.

Instead, she takes them around to largely unremarkable places and introduces them to the people. She was serious about the amount of people who wanted to meet them.

She leads them into the archives, where the scholars are, and they spend some time teasing the Levertans caught red-handed drinking copious amounts of alcohol just to get through the day. (“You’ve never had to read ten thousand reports on grain storage proposals, Ku’yr! You’d be drinking too!”)

Then to kitchens, where the staff are on break long enough to regale them with Citadel gossip. Who was dating who, who was spotted running from the communal showers in nothing but their underclothes, and did you know Gu’hr in Accounting used to be a pop singer? No, I’m absolutely serious, he was a one-hit wonder, no, look, I have his album right here—

She takes them to the barracks behind the Citadel, where Re’sl’s soldiers train and sleep. The soldiers are clearly ecstatic for the company, telling Lance and Keith of the razing rituals that involved itching powder in places itching powder shouldn’t be. Re’sl’s people are friendly and surprisingly animated, though you couldn’t tell that from their stiff posture while on duty and their intimidating armor.

“Sir, I heard your lions are sentient!” one of them gushes. Her eyes shine.

“Your commander was pretty interested in that, too,” Lance says wryly. “Also, ma’am, please don’t call me sir. I’m eighteen, and you’re…”

“Fifty-seven!”

“Right. Lance is fine. And yeah, Blue—that’s my lion—is sentient. She’s the best, got the sweetest personality—and I’m being entirely objective here, you know!”

Even Keith gets into it, not being able to resist when one of the soldiers asks if he knows how to use that sword of his. (Lance winces. “Dude…even if that was a playful joke, you’re going to get skewered now.”)

By the time Ku’yr takes them back around to the kitchens for lunch, Lance is ready to count Levert among his favourite planets.

“Man, that was the most fun I’ve had on a political mission ever,” he gushes. Keith nods—even he agrees, that’s how cool it was. “You’re all so friendly.”

Ku’yr flushes happily, black eyes shining. “That’s because you’re both a pleasure to host. You’ve put a lot of people at ease today.”

Lance exchanges a knowing look with Keith. “We’re glad.”

_[end scene]_

_[a deleted scene after their date]_

“Excuse me?”

Lance turns and finds a kid staring at him.

“Um,” the kid begins. “I’m Sa’hr.”

Lance glances back at Keith. Keith shrugs, just as confused. “Hi, Sa’hr. Are you lost? Do you need our help?”

Sa’hr goes violet. They wave their hands, lashes fluttering. “No, um—I was only—” They press their lips together and then in a rush, blurt out— “are you Voltron?”

The beginnings of a grin grow on Lance’s face. Oh, this part of saving the world is always the cutest. Behind him, Keith stands and dusts himself off. Lance stays low.

“We’re two-fifths of it,” he says. “I’m Lance. This is Keith.”

Sa’hr visibly vibrates with barely-repressed excitement. “B-blue and red. Right?”

“Mhm.”

“I saw your lions,” they say, hushed, like it’s a secret. God, kids are a delight. “Outside the city. Are they okay just sitting there? Do they get to sleep? Did you feed them yet? I have a pet, I can share Foot’s food with them.”

Keith calmly presses a fist to his mouth. His shoulders shake.

“Your pet is named…Foot,” Lance repeats. Sa’hr nods. “It’s alright, though, thank you. Blue and Red, uh, already ate.”

“Really?” Sa’hr is skeptical.

“Oh, yeah.” Lance elbows Keith’s shin. “Tell them, dude.”

Keith clears his throat. “Right, yes. Um, there was a fight. Before we came here. Huge monster, terrifying. We defeated it and the lions, uh, ate it. They’re very full.”

Lance wonders if that’s a kid-friendly thing to say.

Luckily, Sa’hr is made of tougher stuff. Their dark eyes shine. “Whoa…”

“Sa’hr!” A woman calls out. She jogs up to them, pausing at the sight of the two paladins. “What have I told you about running off like that?”

“Don’t?” Sa’hr replies. “And I didn’t run, I walked.”

The woman sighs.

“Are you Sa’hr’s mother?” Lance asks.

“Yes. I’m Vo’kut. Sorry about them.” She quirks a wry smile. “They get that curiosity from their other mother.”

“But Mom said it was from you?” Sa’hr turns to Lance. “They’re always blaming each other like this. I think they should blame the sperm donor. It makes more sense.”

Vo’kut turns bright purple. Keith spins around with a choked noise.

“Who told you about that?” Vo’kut laments. “Was it your mother?”

Sa’hr rolls their eyes. “You see?”

Lance can only nod. If he speaks, he’s never going to stop laughing.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Vo’kut pokes their cheek. “Let’s leave these nice people to their business.”

“But I wanted to ask them about Voltron!”

“I’m sure they have things to do—”

“It’s alright,” Lance pipes up. “We don’t mind, right Keith?”

Keith shrugs. “Wouldn’t hurt, I guess.”

_[end scene]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i really liked these scenes, esp the one with the kid, but i had no idea where i would've gone with them/they didn't fit in the new plot, so snip snip ig :/


	2. You Wish Your Power Couple Could Do This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes places after the team's fun day at the Levertan festival

When Allura said, “You will explain _everything_ to me,” she wasn’t kidding.

“Can you still hear him?” she asks. She’s got a fucking datapad. She’s taking _notes._

“Yes,” Keith sighs. “He’s still singing Backstreet Boys.”

“He must be on the other side of the castle by now. Your range is impressive.” She makes a note. “How distracting is he?”

“Not very? It’s the same as having him beside me in person; I can tune it out if I need to.”

_Ouch. I heard that._

_As if you don’t do the same._

_Red, that would require you to first speak more than five sentences, outside of a crisis._

_Shut up._

_Case in point._

He pulls out of the link to find Allura regarding him with an unsettling glint in her eyes. He shifts, shoulders hunching. The last time she looked like that was during their introductory paladin training regimen. He still has nightmares about that experience. “What?”

She taps a finger against her lips. “Have you sparred since you got the mind-link?”

“No?”

“Would you be able to concentrate during a fight with his thoughts in your head?”

“I can just turn on the blocker.”

She cocks her head. “The link could be useful, if you learn to use it. When he’s at your back, it’ll be like you have eyes at the back of your head.”

“But how do I do that?” he asks.

When Allura smiles, the bolt of fear that rips through Keith is potent enough that Lance asks him if they’re under attack.

“Why don’t we find out?”

They start off small.

Allura has them face off against three training bots. Mid-level fighters, close-range. A familiar situation, nothing out of the ordinary for them. They need a baseline, to see if the dual stimuli from the link really won’t mess with them.

It doesn’t.

In fact, Allura was right; it _helps._

By nature, fights finish quickly, especially close-quarter combat. They usually end within minutes. When both parties are moving that fast, it’s all instinct and reflexes. No time to think, only move.

Even so, Keith is taken by surprise at how _fast_ they take down those bots. It feels like mere seconds. When he glances up at the control room, Allura’s mouth has dropped open. Coran leans over to the intercom and says, “Twenty-five seconds.”

They beat their record by an entire minute.

He looks at Lance. Lance looks back.

In their mindlink, two words echo:

_Fuck. Yes._

Allura has them try it again with four opponents. Then five. Six. Eight. _Twelve_.

By the time they face up against two dozen bots, only to come out panting but sporting nothing more than a couple new nicks on their armor, the entire team is pressed up against the glass like they’re at a goddamn zoo.

 _“Holy shit,”_ Pidge says as the last bot fades into blue dust. _“Holy Mother of all shits, what the_ hell?”

Keith is grinning so hard his mouth feels like it’s going to split. Lance is staring down at his hands like he’s never seen them before. He used his broadsword this round.

(It was fucking _hot.)_

Slowly, Allura settles back in her seat. She stares at the controls for a moment, then looks at them through the glass. _“If you guys are still up for it, I might have something in mind.”_

They share a look.

“Give us ten minutes and a couple juice pouches, and we’re all yours, Princess.” Lance grins, sharp and deadly.

(So hot.)

Allura throws them into Hell.

Hell is this: A squadron of training bots, set to levels they haven’t beaten yet, long-range, mid-range, close-range, all of the goddamn ranges and using every conceivable weapon available in the system. And don’t forget the terrain full of pits and cliffs and dead ends—there’s even a simulation _storm_ to bear with _, what the fuck._ And finally, because, oh _no_ , as if all that wasn’t enough, we have the cherry on top:

Lance, blind-folded.

“We’re actually going to die,” he muses.

 _“You’re not going to die,”_ Allura refutes through the intercom. _“I haven’t changed the bots’ setting from ‘incapacitate’ to ‘kill.’”_

“Oh good. Very reassuring to know that’s even an option, thank you.”

She rolls her eyes. Coran takes up a position beside her, datapad ever at the ready. Shiro pops up behind him to flash Keith a thumbs up. Pidge’s at the station controls, keying in the last of Allura’s mad plan, and Hunk is…video recording. He’s taping this whole thing. Keith just knows that’s going to end up on the Coalition interwebs.

_“Is the link open?”_

Keith doesn’t even have to think; he can hear Lance going, _‘this is stupid the blindfold itches I should’ve wiped my eye gunk off before they put it on yes I know that’s gross Keith but what am I supposed to do? Not accumulate eye mucus and dust naturally in the corners of my eyes like fuck man gimme a break I can’t be beautiful all the time—oh. Oh you think I’m pretty?_

“Yeah,” says Keith. Then, to Allura, “Yeah, it’s open.”

_“Excellent. Whenever you’re ready, then.”_

He nudges Lance, who’s blushing lightly under the blindfold. Hm, that’s an enticing image. He’ll have to revisit that at a later date. “You ready?”

Lance rolls his shoulders and falls into a fighting stance. “Are you? It’s your turn to watch my back.”

“Don’t I always?”

Lance smiles.

Keith takes his position at his soulmate’s back. He exhales. “Commence simulation.”

All around them, bots fall from the sky, weapons and eyes glinting dangerously. Rain pelts down on them, slicking up their visors. Already, the dirt beneath them is turning to mud. The last of the bots land with a thud.

Lance presses back against him briefly. Keith bares his teeth.

They attack.

The thing about fighting like this, is that Keith has to make sure Lance is within his field of view. The past experiments taught them that they don’t need to send concrete thoughts and just having your vision fill the mindlink is enough for the other to _see._ Lance is using Keith as his own eyes. That’s cool as _hell,_ that’s—that’s some next level shit.

With that, comes the responsibility of maintaining a wide-scope focus. Keith has to make sure he doesn’t get sucked into his own surroundings, but to have an awareness of everything that is going on everywhere. Kind of like when you’re not staring at something specific, but at a mid-point and then letting your peripheral vision do the rest of the work. Lance is his mid-point.

It’s—he’s not going to lie—it’s difficult as shit, but with Lance’s voice in his head for a reminder, it’s doable. He’ll have to get used to doing this, in case one of them does end up blinded for whatever reason. Lance, too.

Without looking away from Lance, Keith swings his sword and takes off a bot’s head. Another grabs his arm, flings him over its shoulder. He pulls them down with him, catches it in a hold and stabs it right through the eye. His gaze locks back onto Lance.

_You good?_

_Stumbled a little. Vertigo from feeling you flipped while I’m still standing. Not too bad, though. Think I might have to learn how to time closing the link during those moments? Like blinking, but with my mind._

_Sounds tough._

Keith pulls out of the mindlink and blocks an overhand swing, a bullet, and a kick to the face, in that order. Across the field, with numerous puddles and at least three pits between them, Lance ducks a punch, rips open a bot’s thigh from hip to knee, switches from sword to gun and then proceeds to nail three bots in the head with one shot. Another tries to sneak up on him, but Keith sees it and that’s all Lance needs.

His bayard transforms and he swings behind him, blade flashing. The bot separates into two pieces.

Hot, Keith thinks again.

_I can hear you, babe._

Keith kicks a bot into another, toppling them. _I know. That’s the point._

_Hey, just got an idea._

_I’m all ears. Or all mind, I guess._

Lance does the mental equivalent of rolling his eyes. _You see that huge ass tree there? And the crevice running away from it?_

_Yeah?_

_You think you could knock the tree onto it?_

_You want me to lumberjack during a fight?_

_Not quite how I’d put it, but yes. Your blade’s sharp enough; you’ll only need a couple whacks and a strong kick._

Lance lets an image of his plan form in their link.

Keith shakes his head, laughing. “You’re insane. Let’s do it.”

Later, nobody will be able to explain just how exactly Lance and Keith manage to get the last dozen bots stuck in a crack in the ground and then fell a four-foot tree onto their heads, crushing them in an unreasonably excessive and merciless way.

When the simulation ends, Keith doesn’t even wait for Lance to remove the blindfold. He rushes over, grabs his face, and pulls him into a bruising kiss.

“Fuck, that was so cool,” he mumbles against Lance’s lips. “You—that stupid sword, your stupid bayard switching— _blindfolded—_ ”

Lance pushes into him, just as hungry. Between kisses, he says, “A fucking _tree,_ you—who just chops—down—actual trees? I—ah, _fuck_ , Keith—un _believable_ —”

In the control room, Hunk lowers his datapad. He stares down at the video replay, wide-eyed and little terrified.

“People are going to lose their _goddamn minds.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyone else really love badass couple klance????? i just want them to beat the shit out of their enemies is that too much to ask


	3. Arguments

Pidge laughs for twenty straight minutes when she finds out, but Keith and Lance miss arguing.

See, the thing is, when you have an instantaneous line of communication like they do, arguments are resolved in seconds. What would’ve taken minutes, or even hours, happens so quickly in their mindspace. The counter to an argument is countered which is then countered and so on and so forth and it’s lighting-quick, because they don’t need to speak. They just think at each other. Aggressively.

They don’t fight _less_ , it’s just that they don’t spend much time bantering or throwing quips at each other anymore. Out loud, that is.

It’s absolutely ridiculous, but Keith and Lance miss arguing the old-fashioned way.

So, sometimes, they block off the mindlink for a couple hours each day, when either of them starts to feel aggressive, and they just fall back into it.

“I told you to take your socks off when you get in bed!” Keith shouts.

“And I told you that I have cold feet!” Lance gets right up in his soulmate’s face. “Do you want to cuddle with ice blocks, huh? Huh??”

“I can’t sleep knowing your dirty, sweaty socks are in my bed!”

“As if it matters anyway—how often do you wash your sheets? I found a bacteria colony on your bed yesterday—”

“That’s a _stain_ that was _already there when I was assigned the room, dumbass!”_

Over on the couch, Shiro crunches a handful of chips between his teeth. “You know, it’s kind of creepy how they’re smiling and laughing throughout the whole fight.”

Hunk shivers. “Are we sure they don’t need an exorcism?”

“So this is what married life is like for humans,” Coran muses. He strokes his moustache and makes a note in his datapad. “Fascinating. Spouses can find joy in even arguing with each other. Truly, that is the power of love.”

“More like the power of foreplay,” Pidge mutters. She steals the chips from Shiro, who’s too busy choking to stop her. “What? I’m right.”

“Oh god,” Shiro wheezes. “Oh hell, you are. Dammit. Goddammit, Iverson.”

“Are you ever going to stop invoking his name like he’s the root of all your problems?” Hunk asks.

“My brother is engaging in foreplay right in front of me, I can curse whoever I want.”

“Fair.”

Allura sinks into the cushions beside Pidge, her hand held out for some chips. She watches as Keith dives for Lance’s legs and misses, sliding face-first into the wall. “This reminds me of a mating ritual of the Laiotl mammal. They compete with potential mates in displays of aggression, which is atypical of most Altean mammals, and almost always ends up in fatalities.”

She pops a chip in her mouth. “The Laiotl fell into extinction about eighty years before my father took the throne.”

The team regard Lance and Keith in this new light. Coran is taking notes so fast his stylus flies out of his hand and skitters across the floor.

“Are you saying my brother and his soulmate are stupid enough to kill each other while trying to impress each other,” Shiro asks.

Allura wordlessly gestures to the scene in front of them.

Lance is in the process of choking Keith out with his legs. Keith is repeatedly punching Lance’s leg and laughing. Lance wets a finger and sticks it in Keith’s ear. A screech fills the room and Keith’s Marmora blade goes flying into a wall, rebounding off it and nearly taking off Lance’s ear. Lance just cackles and squeezes harder.

Shiro gets up and leaves the room. He doesn’t even take his chips with him; that’s how devastated he is.

“I feel like I should be concerned that these are the paladins of Voltron,” Coran remarks, tapping his stylus on his lip. “Blaytz and Alfor were certainly nothing like this.”

Allura blanches. “I sure fucking hope not.”

“Princess, language!”

On the other side of the room, Keith gurgles. His face is so red. Nobody knows if it’s because he’s actually suffocating or if it’s because of the way Lance’s thighs are flexing right next to his face. Nobody _wants_ to know.

“God, this is like watching a train wreck,” Pidge comments. “I can’t look away.”

“They’re _still_ grinning,” Hunk whispers. “What the hell.”

“Oh, looks like Keith gaining the upper hand now, what a turn of events. That was an excellent grapple, I was certain he would tap out—oh. That—"

“Are they—? Is that—?”

Allura shoots to her feet, gaze averted. “Their shirts have come off. I think it is time for us to take our leave.”

“Oh, hell no—go, go, go!” Hunk vaults over the couch, chips clutched to his chest. Coran is right behind him, hand politely shading his peripheral from the “wrestling” match.

“Jesus. Jesus H. Christ, The Virgin Mother Mary and Joseph,” Pidge chants as she speed-walks to the door. “Lord Almighty, Father of what the _fuck_ , Holy Spirit of my _eyes_ oh _GOD.”_

The door closes on Hunk’s fading shrieks, Pidge’s disgusted gagging, Allura’s muffled laughter, and Coran’s exasperated sighs.

Inside the lounge, Lance’s head pops up. “Alright, coast’s clear.”

Keith joins him, hair looking like a rat’s nest. He shoots Lance a look. “You couldn’t have chosen a better way to get them to leave? Hell, _we_ could’ve just left.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that? I know you like traumatizing them as much as I do.”

Keith purses his lips but doesn’t deny it. “…Shiro probably won’t be able to look me in the eye until next week.”

Lance hooks his chin over Keith’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around that slim waist. “Mhm. That means no pranks and no jokes about you being a teen bride for seven days.”

“Alright, I concede to your intellect.” Keith leans back, hands threading with Lance’s over his stomach.

“As you should. Have my plans ever failed?”

“The last time you helped me prank Shiro, we ended up in the garbage chute.”

“But did we pull off the prank or not?”

Keith rolls his eyes.

Lance presses a kiss to his temple. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, baby.”

Keith pushes his face away. “Oh, shut up. Let’s get something to eat, I’m starving.”

Lance frowns. “If you eat now you’re going to be too full for dinner.”

“No? Dinner’s in a couple hours; I’ll have digested everything by then.”

“Dinner’s in _one_ hour. And you just had some snacks earlier.”

Keith pulls away and turns to Lance, brows raised. “Are you policing my eating habits right now?”

“I’m just pointing out what you always forget happens when you snack before dinner.”

“How do you—” Keith squints at him. “Are you studying me or something?”

“Am I—babe, I’m literally your boyfriend. I’d be an idiot to not notice that shit.”

“Ah, so you’re a stalker.”

Lance pushes him off his lap, outraged. Keith rolls with it, gets his legs around Lance’s waist and flips them both and Lance tries to pin him but he ducks under it and rams his shoulder into Lance’s chest and they go sprawling over each other and Lance almost gets Keith in a headlock again but Keith blows a raspberry against the sensitive inside of his forearm and Lance yelps and—

Yeah. Lance and Keith like fighting.

Shiro sidles up to Allura. "You said dying was the only way I could resign, right?"

Without looking up, she says, "You're not allowed to die."

"What do you mean _not allowed_ —"

She catches his gaze and smiles, serene. "No dying."

He swallows. "Understood, Princess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> allura: you're not allowed to die and leave me to deal with this bullshit by myself  
> shiro, sweating buckets: ma'am yes ma'am


	4. Family Bonding (an ask from tumblr)

> Anon: So in chapter 4 of tnahp, what game is Lance playing??

“Paladins,” Allura begins grandly, “my dear friends.”

“No,” is Keith’s immediate reply. He’s sprawled upside down on the couch, an arm flung over his eyes. “No more training.”

“Whoa, world’s ending guys,” Lance says. “Keith Kogane doesn’t want to train. Gasp.”

“Did you just say ‘gasp’ instead of gasping. Also, shut up.”

“You shut up.”

“No, y–”

“Both of you shut up,” Allura tells them sweetly. They do. “I have prepared something for you all. A game, devised to assist you in learning more of your duties.”

Pidge regards her warily. “A game…?”

Allura hands them each a data tablet; Lance takes his with a healthy dose of trepidation. He’s allowed that, he thinks, because her paladin training is a hundred times more grueling than anything the Garrison’s ever put him through. The past few weeks have been a strange, terrifying sort of hell.

“It is simple,” she declares, which Lance automatically translates to, ‘this will be irrationally difficult, and it might bring you to tears and embarrass you so fully you will question whether retaining a physical body is worth it.’

“I will explain the mechanics of this only once,” she continues. “So listen carefully.”

The game is basically this: you’ve been invited to a dinner party by an alien species that you’re considering allying with against Zarkon. Throughout the game, you will need to perform certain actions or solve problems to endear yourself to them. 

Sounds easy, right?

“My aliens just set Shiro on fire!” Hunk cries.

“ _What.”_ Predictably, and kind of hilariously, Keith’s response to this perceived threat to his brother is to whip out his knife.

Shiro, in contrast, just snorts. “I’m just that hot.”

Keith now looks torn between stabbing Hunk’s tablet and stabbing Shiro.

Hunk taps ineffectually at the screen. “I can’t save him! If I save him, they’ll roast Lance’s corpse!”

“My corpse?!” Lance splutters. “My–I’m _dead_ and you didn’t tell me?!”

“I’m sorry!” Hunk wails, throwing the tablet across the room. “I’m so sorry! I’ve killed you, I’ve killed you _and_ Shiro! I couldn’t find the difference between the two photos!”

Coran picks it up. He points to a pixel. “It was this.”

Hunk takes off his shoes and throws them at the wall next.

“What am I supposed to do with this,” Pidge demands, showing them her screen. Her character seems to be stuck in a room.

“You must utilize whatever materials you can find in that room to escape,” Coran says. “This showcases your cunning and resourcefulness to the aliens.”

She stares blankly at him. “There’s nothing in this room.”

Coran just smiles. Her face spasms in anger.

Lance’s tablet beeps angrily at him. Allura peers over his shoulder and clicks her tongue.

“It seems you didn’t solve the puzzle in time to save Hunk from a lifetime of imprisonment.”

“That wasn’t a _puzzle_ ,” he grumbles, “a puzzle is doable–Princess, I’m pretty sure that was a math problem that hasn’t been solved yet back on Earth!”

“Oh,” she says, gently pitying. Which–okay, yeah, it’s kind of sad how behind Earth is.

“Also this game is unrealistic,” he argues. “Why can’t I bust in there with Blue to rescue him?”

“The point is to _prevent_ such outcomes,” she tells him. “Using your diplomacy, you should be able to diffuse the situation before it escalates to such extremes.”

Right on cue, Keith yells, “No! Absolutely not! I will _not_ dance naked for you, you old bag of horse dicks! Go rub your slimy hands over someone else, you giant ingrown pubic hair!”

Shiro chokes on his laughter. He slides to the floor, wheezing. His datapad slides from his grasp, revealing that he’s been browsing shopping sites this whole time.

“I think you have too much faith in us, Princess,” Lance says.

Allura sighs.


	5. Nightmares

> Anon: what if mind link also means shared dreams which means shared nightmares

Keith jolts up in bed, hand outstretched. He’s covered in a cold sweat and gasping.

Lance silently sits up. The sheets pool around their waists.

He says, “Was that fucking Barney.”

Keith puts his head in his hands.

“Keith, was that fucking Barney the dinosaur in my head just then. Did you have a dream about his purple ass trying to stick us in the oven to roast us for his dinner. Red.”

“I’m sorry,” Keith whispers. “Lance, I’m so, so sorry.”

“He was about to season me in salt and pepper,” Lance stresses, “and _nothing else._ What kind of a person doesn’t season properly?”

Keith raises his head. “That’s what you’re concerned about?”

“If he’s going to eat us, he should have the decency to make sure we taste good!”

“Are you critiquing my nightmare?” Keith demands. “Are you seriously Gordon Ramsay-ing the monster in my dreams?”

“I’m just saying, next time–”

 _“Next time–?”_ Keith throws the blankets to the floor. “I need a drink.”

Lance calls after him, “There’s some milk in the fridge, from Kaltenecker! You’re welcome!”

_“I meant alcohol, you dumbass!”_

“Oh. Wait, I think Shiro drank all of it already!”


	6. Nightmares, Take Two

Lance bolts up in bed, hand outstretched. His face is wet, mouth open, a wordless cry.

Beside him, Keith exhales and opens his eyes. The pillow is damp under his cheek, cold. He stares at the wall, unseeing. An image flashes in his mind—bloody hands, tear-stained visors. He sits up, rubbing at the hollow of his throat.

Threads of the dream pluck at his mind. Lance has already blocked off the link, probably the moment he woke, but Keith still feels it in his chest, like a knife between his ribs.

Crushing despair, fear. Love, and the grief borne of it. A grief so unstoppable it threatened to swallow him.

Lance has his head in his hands. His back moves with every inhale, exhale; he’s counting again.

Keith leans over and rests his head against Lance’s bicep. He listens to mumbled numbers until the hitches in his soulmate’s breaths cease. He slides his hand into Lance’s and squeezes.

With a shudder, Lance turns and presses their foreheads together.

Keith hooks an arm over his neck, fingers sliding into his hair to rubs gentle circles against his scalp. He nudges at the blockage in their link, a question.

Lance answers.

Keith sinks into the link and immediately, his heart breaks a little more. His soulmate’s mind is trembling, raw and disordered. It calls out to him weakly, gasping, and he rushes to soothe. He brushes love over its bleeding parts, presses warmth and reassurance into its fractures. He pulls as much of himself into Lance’s mindspace, driving out the fears and the doubt until nothing remains but them.

Outside, Lance sobs once and goes loose, pliant.

“Keith,” he whispers.

“Shh, I’ve got you.” Keith pulls them down into the blankets and crushes Lance to his chest.

“I’ve got you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof


	7. Broadcast That Love (an ask from tumblr)

  * you know how in tiwlll lance was still getting used to the fact that he was allowed to think/say gay things about keith?
  * or like flirt seriously with him
  * well now with the link, every time lance sees keith do sth stupitt or cute, his gay thoughts are blasted in surround sound for keith to hear
  * can u imagine just going about your day and suddenly, this overwhelming sense of pure, unadulterated _adoration_ gets directed at you? like for no reason? like someone just loves you bc you exist?? like can u believe??
  * the first time that happens, keith just starts crying what the fuck
  * (you know that love-starved boy would)
  * keith’s like doing sth at his station on the bridge, his hair’s too long and it gets in the way of his screens and he’s like periodically huffing and puffing at his fringe and then it gets so annoying that he pulls at it and threatens to cut it with his knife. like he’s just talking to himself
  * and at his own station, lance witnesses that and it’s just so–fuckign adorable oh my god holy FUCK keith can you not???? be so lovable?? fuck??? and his entire chest aches and he’s smiling unwillingly and his hands fist, nails biting into his skin because he just wants so badly to walk over there and pick keith up in a huuuuge hug and spin him around and crush him to his chest and cry over him or sth equally dramatic
  * and _alllll_ that gets beamed over into keith’s head in real time
  * and keith just fckn. bursts into silent tears
  * HE FEELS LOVED OKAY
  * like it’s so _warm_ and good in a way he’s been unable to feel before, like it’s strange it’s foreign but it feels like he’s been waiting for this forever, like he’s just now realizing he’s been missing a sixth sense or sth, and it’s almost too much like something expanding in his ribs and keith’s breathless he’s curling in his seat just gasping
  * cuz it’s one thing to be aware that people love you, like when they say it to you, ofc you believe them
  * but it’s a _whole ‘nother_ _thing_ when you have a mindlink _that cannot lie, that shows you so vividly how much they love you_
  * anyway that was the day everyone freaked out because keith kogane started crying on the bridge for no reason. they thought he was dying or sth
  * lance gets scolded by the others for surprising keith like that and worrying people and he’s like WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO??? NOT FEEL LOVE FOR HIM??? WAS I SUPPOSED TO HOLD IT BACK??? THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE
  * and oh there goes keith’s tears again. dammit lance



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bro.... bro can u imagine.... feeling people's love for u like that.... bro i would be crying 24/7 at the slightest hint. i would go comatose if i was keith here


	8. Broadcast That—Arousal? 👀

> Anon: ok but if we're doing shared spicy times, what if keith is on a mission and in the middle of it lance starts thinkin of him... rip keith

DKADJFAKJSD RIP KEITH INDEED

  * at first keith thinks his marmora suit’s temp controls are malfunctioning
  * when he pulls it up in the HUD everything is operational though. nothing to explain why he’s suddenly feeling really hot and bothered
  * and then there’s a whisper of _shit keith was really ndfdsfshdf yesterday…with that thing he did with his legs…_
  * and it hits keith like are you fucking kidding me. his dumbass soulmate is suddenly feeling horny. and now he’s thinking of keith. while he knows keith’s on a blade mission. in a completely different star system
  * (yeah their telepathic range is that strong suck it kxri)
  * and while it’s stable, like they can still definitely feel each other, thoughts lose form though, become whisper-thin
  * and that, like, oddly does not help keith deal with the influx of arousal, because it kind just sounds like lance is whispering dirty things in his ear. he’s just being teased at this point.
  * so here we have keith, frozen stock-still in a galra base, straining to hear lance’s thoughts because he’s found out that lance actually has a really….nice and vivid sense of imagination and like, he doesn’t even want this, he knows he should shut out the link, he’s fully capable of that by now, but lance is so _convincing_. even when it seems like he’s not doing it on purpose, like doesn’t even know he’s broadcasting right now. that’s probably keith’s fault. ‘cause his own mind is dead silent, a black hole just sucking in every errant thought lance has, giving out nothing. no wonder his soulmate has no idea he’s listening in.
  * it’s fun though, to feel lance’s shock and embarrassed arousal when, halfway through, keith reveals himself and warps the fantasy to _his_ wishes.
  * (keith’s lucky he’s finished his mission, because it takes him another twenty minutes to leave that base and if there had been stray sentries hanging around, he’d have been fucked. and not in the way they were both busy thinking about.)




	9. Guinness World Record for Marriage Certificates (headcanon request from tumblr)

  * right so you know how kl got accidental married in tiwlll?
  * it happens again on another planet
  * and again, on another. and then on another and again on another and–
  * it happens multiple times, really. 
  * it’s just–some aliens have weird customs about trustworthiness and loyalty and want the co-leaders of voltron bonded in their way to show dedication to the cause or w.e, it doesn’t make sense to them, but w.e gets people to sign on.
  * and then some of the aliens think it’s a blessing that a soulmate pair is leading voltron and kl can’t escape their enthusiasm like they did with the levertans
  * and _eventually_ , some of the aliens turn out to have just heard through interstellar gossip about kl getting married over and over and over and they…kind of just want in on the universe’s most famous love story
  * and it _is_ a famous love story. somehow, the events on olkarion and levert get leaked and people are just _eating that shit up_
  * (you can blame ryder and lu’hr for this. they just really wanted to share the happiness! and in a world like this, people could always use a hopeful story)
  * the team finds it so fuckign funny, shiro especially. he accuses them of collecting marriage certificates like some people do stamps. allura is torn on the fact that voltron is known for a star-crossed love story just as much as they are known for their very serious saving-liberating-people-thing. coran thinks it’s good PR, hunk gets really emotional about it but also won’t stop referring to lance and keith as romeo and juliet even though that’s the furthest thing from what they are, and pidge jokingly makes a shitty Windows Movie video about kl’s journey from rivals to friends to lovers, full of lame transitions and effects and set to the soundtrack of high school musical and somehow it leaks out to the rest of the universe and is unironically considered an important part of voltron history, years later.
  * lance is mostly baffled by the whole thing, if a little flattered, and keith just refuses to acknowledge his celebrity status. you know him, he’s private about this stuff. 
  * one time a nosy alien asked him what it was like to lead voltron with lance, his soulmate, their story literally history in the making and keith was so done that he just said, “who the _fuck_ is lance” and walks away, and for days the interstellar network is full of rumors about them fighting. 
  * coincidentally, that week, zarkon’s army tries to attack them multiple times. the team collectively agrees not to think about the idea that the galra pay attention to that sort of stuff. nope. no way.
  * talking about galra, when keith finds krolia and catches her up on everything, she promptly arranges and officiates a galran marriage for them. lance is too afraid to stop her and keith just lets her do it because, well that’s his mom, and this makes her happy. 
  * she tells him that his dad would’ve liked lance. no, keith doesn’t cry. lance, who has access to his literal mind, would say otherwise. their mindspace was so emotional during krolia’s speech lmao
  * so yeah, by the time the war ends, lance & keith are legally married in almost every conceivable way.
  * then they return to earth, and do it one last time, the human way.
  * (right after they’re pronounced husband and husband, lance turns to keith and goes “do you think we could get into the Guinness World Records with our marriage certificate collection?” keith threatens to divorce him)



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> imagine having the universe so in love with your love story that it makes you get married over and over and over and o


	10. Miscellaneous Notes From Coran’s Datapad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a practice I like to think Coran ascribes to, most notably in my fic _[skin hunger](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740374)_ but he hints at doing it in the tnahp au too, in tiwlll’s ending chapter

[SOL 233.31XX]

The new paladins are finally shaping up. Could do with more physical training, but I suppose that Garrison of theirs covered tactics and strategy well enough. Hunk and Pidge are proving to be quite the help at maintaining the castleship’s systems.

On the other hand, Lance and Keith have blown up another training room “sparring” with each other. I am forced to conclude that the Garrison’s “sparring” is code for “trying your best to kill your opponent.”

Repairs estimated to take about a week. Will have to visit a spacemall for materials asap.

[SOL 269.31XX]

We have made allies! Galra who have defected and are working from within to dismantle Zarkon’s rule. I must admit, it brings me hope.

In related news, Keith uncovered part of his heritage today. He carries a marmorite blade in his pockets, and the blood of his Galra mother in his veins. He has been even more of a quiet presence since. I sincerely hope this leads him to a chance to find what remains of his family.

In the meanwhile, I will have to update his bio profile and adjust the medpods to account for his physiology. No wonder it took Keith longer to recover from injuries than the others.

[SOL 306.31XX]

I had the helm on the castleship when it happened, but apparently Lance stood up for Keith today. I hear it was quite the scene. I am relieved they are finally getting along.

Addendum: Lance just threw Keith over the dining table. Minimal repairs needed.

[SOL 325.31XX]

Particle barrier in need of a check-up. I noticed some spots of weakness in yesterday’s skirmish. Since Lance has kindly volunteered his and Keith’s services to clean the pool, I am optimistic that I will have this issue resolved by tomorrow.

[SOL 359.31XX]

I found something I hadn’t known I lost today. A bell, from my soulmate’s shawl. It was under my bed. I remember now, they gave it to me when they left for an expedition north, just months before ~~Zarkon attacked~~

~~I miss~~

[SOL 388.31XX]

Minor adjustments made to medpods. No longer leaking fluid. Still smells like marine life.

[SOL 392.31XX]

I am beginning to think Lance and Keith are getting along _too_ well. They teamed up to prank Shiro and now the kitchen’s stove has somehow been relocated to the showers. No, I don’t know how it happened. Hunk is livid. Repairs estimated to take two weeks. Visit spacemall. Again. Acquire more credits. Somehow.

[SOL 411.32XX]

I’ve figured it out! Lance and Keith don’t hate each other, they never did! They’re romantically interested in each other! All that anger from before was pent-up emotion! What a revelation. But it all makes sense, I knew this felt familiar somehow. I haven’t seen this much pining since the King met the Queen. This is infinitely more entertaining than my old holoshows.

[SOL 426.32XX]

Today, Keith stared at Lance fifteen point six percent more than usual. During midday training, he nearly skewered his own foot, watching Lance execute an ancient Altean sword technique under the Princess’ guidance. Lance did not notice in the slightest. These are the universe’s saviors. Alfor bless us all.

[SOL 430.32XX]

Glitch in sparring bots code fixed. No longer sing ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ when attacking. I have not yet figured out if that was Hunk or Pidge’s idea.

[SOL 453.32XX]

Keith died today.

But Allura brought him back and now he is sleeping the rest of his recovery away in a medpod.

Never again. This can _never_ happen again.

[SOL 459.32XX]

It should come as no surprise, but Lance and Keith have once again managed to completely turned their fluff mission into A Situation.

Fortunately, they are alright, no lasting damage. Except for the telepathic marriage bond they acquired during the event. I swear, every time I look away…

Levert is a wonderful planet and I am excited for our alliance. Our ranks have grown over this year and it amazes me that we have gotten this far. Seven people, two of which are the last of our species—at times, it had seemed like it was just us against the world.

But now, here we are.

Granted, our manpower is nothing next to Zarkon’s forces, but every day I see more light, more hope return into the eyes of our friends. The paladins grow stronger bodies and stronger wills with each enemy we fight. The Princess stands taller, speaks louder, with every planet that pledges themselves to our cause.

Indeed, we are not many. But I think we’ll be just fine.

[SOL 1854.37XX]

I had forgotten where I left this. Looking back on these entries, I am overcome with an emotion I cannot begin to explain.

We started this journey as seven. We end it as seven.

The war was won a year ago. The time spent then has been filled with recovery and reparations. Today, on the third anniversary of the day Voltron and its allies tore down the last of the Galra’s regime, Allura will be making a speech to a galactic coalition of thirty-four planets, to finally announce the end of an warring era, and the start of another: one of growth. She is anxious, but I, as well as the paladins, have all the faith in her.

In these past years, many things came to be. Shiro tied his life to his soulmate, Adam, a while ago actually. He proposed almost immediately upon seeing the man on Earth, nearly as the exact same time as Adam proposed to _him_ ; Keith likes to bring it up near constantly. Pidge settled on Olkari and is planning to stay until the foreseeable future. She is flourishing under Ryner’s tutelage. Hunk apparently took up a previously-offered apprenticeship under a Commander Mona and is making quite the name for himself at the Garrison and throughout the galaxy’s engineering sphere. I have become Allura’s liaison with the Coalition, a role that I perform to my upmost capability, of course; I would not disappoint her. And the Princess herself, after recovering the last of our people (we are not the last!), has settled into her role as _Queen of New Altea._

I wish Alfor and Melenor could have been here to see this. They would be proud of her.

So much has changed. But perhaps what changed the least are Lance and Keith.

Hm, well. That’s not quite right.

They’ve grown into amazing young men. Good and kind, strong and steadfast. When I first set eyes on them—on all of them—I feared the war would swallow them alive and leave nothing but husks. They have proven my fears unfounded.

But while they have learned much and remade themselves more so, there are things about Lance and Keith that remain as unchanged as ever.

They still argue like they’re fifteen and haven’t figured out that their attraction is mutual. They still wreck whatever training room they decide to utilize that day. (I am forever grateful that the castleship is docked on New Altea and out of their reach. The Garrison can handle their destruction from here on out, oh yes.) They still fight like one entity; I believe their mindlink is healthy and whole and still being used primarily to prank Shiro.

Most importantly, however, is how they still love each other. Deeply, undeniably and unshakeably, as it was from the start.

In all my years, I have only witnessed a handful of other soulmates as intertwined as Lance and Keith. It is humbling.

These days, I believe they are traversing the stars, following their whims, whether that be a stint with the Blade, or training Garrison cadets, joining relief efforts, visiting the friends they made during the war, or simply discovering space for themselves.

But wherever it is they go, they go together.

And with frequent updates sent to us, because they know we would hunt them down if they fail to do so.

I have never had children of my own, but with a family like this one, borne and burnished in the stars, I believe it would've been just like this.

[ARCHIVE ENTRIES?]

[YES / NO]

[ **YES** ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CORAN MAKES ME CRY. THAT'S MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DAD


	11. Happy Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is probably the end of this drabble fic, unless i suddenly get inspo for this AU later on

this is how keith asks lance to marry him:

  * so we all know how from the beginning, from the moment things got resolved at the end of tnahp, that keith’s been upfront about never leaving lance. everyone knows he’s going to put a ring on that. he’s said it to lance’s _face._ “what else am i gonna do with you?”
  * it’s not until years later that he actually does anything though. mostly bc of the war and the aftermath.
  * the team are in a meeting with the coalition, boring stuff, routine stuff, and the mind link is closed, bc sometimes keith and lance need breaks. he’s lucky that it was, though, because what happens next in his mind would’ve been enough to make lance fall out of his seat and ruin the meeting and coran would’ve killed them both lmao
  * lance is paying attention even though he looks just as bored as keith. diligent, as always. he’s even got a holoscreen projected, taking lazy notes. there are faint little sketches of the coalition members and the team. one is of shiro, snoring, comical Zs above his head. keith bites down on his cheek.
  * lance is twirling the pen in his left hand.
  * keith looks at that and thinks, loud and clear, _there should be a ring on his finger._
  * he sits back.
  * huh.
  * it should be a surprise, he decides after a quiet minute. lance deserves that. it should be at the right moment, the right words, the right place. the proposal should be soft and genuine and come as such a sweet shock that it takes lance seconds to reply. it should make his blue eyes fill with tears, it should make him curl into a ball before keith, who’ll still be kneeling, ring box open and laughing at him because “wow, that’s nice reaction, lance.” “shut _up,_ Keith.” it should be a proposal so perfect that it makes lance kind of mad, makes him shove keith, makes him pout that frustrated-loving-happy pout.
  * (bros, as a gay, this is kind of really fucking gay)
  * keith spends the rest of the meeting laying out proposal plans. lance gets exasperated when he finds out keith remembers nothing of the meeting.
  * “dude, you–tell me again, who’s the leader of voltron, here?” 
  * “it’s allura.” 
  * “…okay, but who flies Black–”
  * and some people might ask, what’s the point, if you’re already levertan-married? if you’ve mind-linked and basically achieved the pinnacle of ‘joining hands in holy matrimony’?
  * keith’s answer would probably be something like “fuck off, i love him that’s why”
  * (ngl that’s hella romantic. no? just me?)
  * the long answer is that he knows lance is a romantic. that he really likes gestures of affection, that his face gets all rosy and he always tries to bite back his smiles, and he gets so _pleased_ and flustered and also adorably angry every time keith does anything for him. keith’s _in love_ with that. he goes absolutely _dumb_ over making lance happy, he’s fucking _obsessed_ with it. every neuron in keith’s stupid head is devoted to lance like 24/7.
  * (it’s a given that lance is the same, if not worse. how tf do they get anything done?)
  * plus, levertan-married doesn’t really mean the same as human-married.
  * so keith–somehow–manages to pull off thinking up proposal plans without closing the link, without lance knowing–maybe bc his thoughts are purposefully fragmented like ‘white chocolate? milk?’ or ‘speakers? mic?’ or ‘beach sand feels sandy’ like really rough notes taken by a college student who’s only gotten 3 hours of sleep—okay that’s delving too far, but you get it—and yes it sounds absolutely dumb but it’s _clever_ because after a while lance tunes it out. though, at the beginning, it really fucking worried him because it sounded like keith was having a stroke LMAO
  * over the next couple months, keith steadily puts his plan together: get the ring, figure out what to say, speak to allura about detouring to earth for some r&r, speak to shiro about not fucking things up for keith because “i know you’ll do that somehow shiro no are you serious of course you would you’re evil do you even remember that time i said no to inviting people for my fourteenth birthday and you did it anyway even though i was looking forward to just playing video games for the whole day??? i had to deal with _james griffin in my goddamn house you ass—”_
  * the day keith asks, everything–surprisingly–goes really well? like suspiciously so. like keith’s really glad but he’s itching to reach for his knife by the end of it, bc he was prepared for shiro to have done _sth_ by now. 
  * but nah, keith and lance have a lovely day hanging out, doing activities keith planned and things lance spontaneously suggests. the weather is a perfect, it’s a breezy, sunny day. when the sun sets, they wordlessly head for the beach. lance chases keith though the surf. they throw clumps of wet sand at each other. keith hoists lance in his arms, listening to him yell as keith spins them around. lance picks _him_ up and tosses him into the shallows, that fucking jerk. lance gets keith to forgive him. lance gives keith his shirt, goes half-naked for keith’s shivering form. “i’m going to get a cold,” lance says. “and i’m not?” keith snorts. they walk down the beach and lance tells him stories, pointing to this rock or that spot and saying _oh i broke my arm there_ or _dude i saved a baby turtle from a seagull that day_ and keith soaks it all up like he’s the sand and lance is the ocean waves, coming back to him every time.
  * lance hops onto a rock, demonstrating to keith how he used to pretend he was a sea prince looking for mermaids. the winds play with his hair, the setting sun brushing golden against his bare chest and the grin on his lips. more importantly, though, since he’s standing up there, he’s a foot or two taller than keith. it’s perfect.
  * keith gets down on one knee.
  * it’s lance’s fault that the ring box is damp, but he’s lucky this thing is olkari-made, because when keith opens it up, the ring shines just as bright as lance. almost as bright. it tries its best but keith really only has eyes for his soulmate.
  * keith says:
  * every day, i want to choose you. every day, i want to get to choose you. every day, growing up like i did, was spent learning what i _needed_ to live, what food or drink or mantra was needed to make it another day alone. my body forced to me to focus on its needs, on the bare essentials. if i went a month without a caring touch, it didn’t matter, because it hadn’t killed me yet.
  * before i fell for you, i don’t think i knew what it meant to _want_. i never had a chance to think about it, a second to indulge. if i wanted a home, a family, it was a weakness, a distraction, and i couldn’t let myself admit it. so i never learned to want.
  * the only other thing that comes closest to what i feel for you is probably flying. it’s that addiction to diving through the clouds, it’s free-falling, it’s soaring with my heart in my throat. and even then, even now that i know you, it doesn’t quite compare. it’s a poor substitute.
  * in this world we exist in, where some force out there knows exactly what we need, who we need, it’s kind of a miracle that i still got to choose you. i’m glad i got the moments where it hurt to think of you, because i wanted you so bad i couldn’t stand not having you. i’m glad i got to slowly realize that you were everything to me, on my own time. it was my own conclusion, my own resolution to love you because you were you, and not because you were someone i was supposed to love. the universe kind of tricked us, but i think she meant well.
  * and now i know, that if there was a world out there where soulmates didn’t exist…i know i’d still want you there, too.
  * i want to want you, every day. i want to wake up wanting you, every day, fall asleep wanting you every night. i want to leave for missions wanting you, want to stay behind watching you go, wanting you to return faster than you can. i want you to want me, too. i want a ring on our fingers, reminding me that you do, that you feel the same and you always will.
  * i want to marry you, lance mcclain.
  * will you marry me?



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD CAN YOU IMAGINE SOMEONE LOVING YOU HALF AS MUCH AS KEITH LOVES LANCE. GOD I WISH THAT WERE ME.
> 
> anyway thanks for all your enthusiastic asks, and for loving this AU as much as I do!!! 💖💖💖💖
> 
> [come talk to me on tumblr! 💖](https://hiuythn.tumblr.com/)   
>  [or my twitter!](https://twitter.com/hiuythn)


End file.
